"Before releasing the guidebook, NIOSH, Pinta Selangor, together with other agencies will conduct further studies and assessment on the religious schools' structures, its problems and risks faced.

"We should not think or identify tahfiz are just religious schools. It is also a workplace as there are teachers working there.

"That is why we must be aware that every school and workplace has its own dangers and risks.

"Therefore, tahfiz operators are responsible to ensure that their premises are safe for occupancy," he said after launching the Safety and Occupational Health (OSH) seminar for tahfiz schools at its headquarters today.

The one-day seminar, which is jointly organised with Pinta Selangor and Fire and Rescue Department, will provide input on safety awareness, concept of hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control (HIRARC).

Present at the seminar were Pinta Selangor chairman Mohd Dailami Che Age and 89 tahfiz schools representatives from Selangor.

KUCHING: Industrial accidents can only be reduced and avoided if all quarters do away with the ‘hangat-hangat tahi ayam’ (not following through) attitude towards the importance of occupational safety and health (OSH).

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said such “unhealthy habit” must be changed to avoid recurrence of the same incident in the future.

“One thing that I am very unhappy about is this habit of 'hangat-hangat tahi ayam' attitude.

“Over the years, these three words “siasat” (investigate), “kaji” (analyse) and “lapor” (report) will surface whenever there is a catastrophe or accident.

“After a while, issues beleaguering this mishap will quiet down. The same three words will resurface when there is recurrence of a similar incident.

“In the end, lesson was never learned. We must get rid of this bad habit,” he said when delivering his keynote address during the Public Works Department (PWD) Second Safety Forum here today.

State PWD director Datuk Ir Zuraimi Sabki was also present.

The call for change, Lee said, not only meant for government agencies but also the private sectors and the people at large.

On a related matter, Lee said the increase in activities in the construction sector, which created higher risk over safety issues, was a call for action for developers to put in place hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control (HIRARC) principle in their operation.

“This will help workers and their supervisors to identify hazards and risks and find ways to avoid them,” he said.

He said the latest fatal incident at a construction site at Lengkok Lembah Permai, Tanjung Bungah, in George Town on Oct 21 was another example where safety was taken for granted and was the result of poor OSH practices at worksite.

“There are others who do not want to invest in safety and health at the workplace because of the cost factor. But when accidents occur leading to either injuries or fatalities, such tragedies bring pain and agony especially to the families of the victims,” he said.

Although the government authorities enact laws and enforce them, Lee said the responsibility for implementing a safety system at the construction site lied mainly with the main and sub-contractors.

Niosh chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the gimmick to drape the building with the 5m by 11m tarpaulin flag was executed by Niosh’s highly-trained “Work at Height” team, to showcase a combination of creativity and safe work ethics as espoused by the institute. BERNAMA Photo

Niosh chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the gimmick to drape the building with the 5m by 11m tarpaulin flag was executed by Niosh’s highly-trained “Work at Height” team, to showcase a combination of creativity and safe work ethics as espoused by the institute. BERNAMA Photo

August 15, 2017 @ 5:42pm

FARHANA SYED NOKMAN

BANGI: The National Occupational Safety and Health Institute (Niosh) today unfurled a giant Jalur Gemilang flag using abseiling techniques at its main office building here.

Niosh chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the gimmick to drape the building with the 5m by 11m tarpaulin flag was executed by Niosh’s highly-trained “Work at Height” team, to showcase a combination of creativity and safe work ethics as espoused by the institute.

“Although we often see large flags hung in various types of buildings, Niosh wants the procedure to be done in the right way and by those with the right skills,” he said after the 60th Independence Day Celebration at the Niosh headquarters, here today.

BANGI, Aug 15 -- An increase in the number of accidents involving workers riding motorcycles to and from the workplace needs the immediate attention of employers, said National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

He said there was an increase of 2,735 accidents involving motorcyclists and pillion-riders last year compared to 2015, which was a cause for concern and required immediate attention.

Lee said one of the preventive measures that could be taken by employers was to educate their workers on taking precautions when riding motorcycles.

"We understand that due to the high cost of living, many workers choose to commute by motorcycles although it is risky,” he told reporters after attending the agency's National day celebration here today.

Lee said it was the responsibility of employers to ensure the safety of their workers, both when at work and when commuting to and from the workplace, especially now during unpredictable weather.